La vida sin problemas (problems ) sería menos desafiante. Los problemas pueden ser insignificantes o graves. En esta lección, aprenderemos vocabulario y frases útiles del día a día en casa y de la oficina (office problems)
Tabla de contenidos
Problemas cotidianos en casa y frases útiles del día a día en casa
| toilet (baño) | The toilet is leaking.
The water is running. I heard the water, and it’s not stopping. The toilet doesn’t flush. The toilet is stopped up. The toilet is overflowing. |
| sink (fregadero) | The sink is leaking.
The tap/faucet is dripping. There is no water. The sink is overflowing. |
| wall (pared) | The wall is cracked.
The paint is peeling. |
| refrigerator (frigorífico) | The refrigerator isn’t working.
The refrigerator is leaking. The refrigerator is broken. |
| shower (ducha) | The shower is dripping.
There is no water. The shower is leaking. |
| door (puerta) | The door is broken.
The door is difficult to open and close. The door won’t close. The door makes noise when it moves. The lock of the door is broken. I lost the keys of the door. |
| floor (suelo) | The carpet is dirty.
The carpet is torn. The floor is uneven. |
| electronic appliances (aparatos eléctricos) | The AC isn’t working.
The AC is frozen; there is ice on the AC. The air from the AC smells bad. The air blows, but it isn’t cold. The TV isn’t working. It needs to be repaired. The washing machine is broken; we need to mend it. |
| other problems (otros problemas) | My plants are dying; I forgot to water them.
I cut my fingers when I was cooking dinner. The room is dirty. We need to clean it. |
Problemas comunes en la oficina
Lily is late today. She had a bad day yesterday. Her computer crashed.
Mike and Henry are getting bored with their jobs. They have so much work to do.
The coffee machine broke down. It won’t dispense water.
The photocopier is out of order. And I have to make a copy of this report.
The computer won’t turn on so I can’t get into the system.
Phrasal verbs relacionados con frases útiles del día a día en casa
| Phrasal verbs | Significado | Ejemplos |
| talk over | discutir algo | We had a problem with an employee coming in late, but I talked it over with him and he says it won’t happen again. |
| wrestle with | intentar resolver un problema difícil | We’ve been wrestling with some production problems for several months. |
| run up against | experimentar una dificultad inesperada | We tried to find funding for the project but we ran up against some unwilling partners. |
| think through | considerar posibles resultados antes de tomar una decisión | Let’s take some time to think things through before we decide to scrap the project. |
| sort out | resolver un problema o situación | You don’t have to worry. We will sort this out. |
| knuckle down | trabajar duro | Everyone has to knuckle down to make these production deadlines. |
| deal with | intentar manejar | The management has to deal with the complaints from their customers. |
| run into a few problems | encontrar de repente | The company ran into a few problems when it lost its principal investor. |
| hand in | entregar | Kevin is leaving the company. He handed in his notice yesterday. |
| burn out | estar agotado por el trabajo | Greg was feeling burned out so he decided to go on a vacation. |
| knock off | terminar el día de trabajo | It’s already late; it’s time to knock off and go home. |
| slack off | trabajar con menos energía | The employees slacked off after they hit their target last month. |
Ejercicios de frases útiles del día a día en casa
Rellenar los huecos para completar el párrafo.
Joe has been working in the computer industry for over a decade now. Every time he (1) _________ software and hardware issues, he (2) ___________ everything ___________ before making a decision. Since he works with a team, they (3) __________ the issue and then decide to (4) ___________ to solve it. There are also times when he has to (5) ___________ difficult situations and has to make the best decision. This has been his routine for the last ten years. Now, though, he’s beginning to (6) ___________ and lose interest in his work. He’s getting (7) ___________ and is considering quitting his job.
1. runs up against; 2. thinks through; 3. talk over; 4. knuckle down; 5. wrestle with; 6. slack off; 7. burned out
Agrupa los siguientes problemas en insignificant o serious.
a broken washing machine dying plants an out of order photocopier
a cut on the finger a TV that doesn’t turn on a crashed computer
a frozen AC a scratch on the carpet
a dirty room peeled painting on the wall
| insignificant | serious |
| dying plants | a broken washing machine |
| a cut on the finger | a TV that doesn’t turn on |
| a dirty room | an out of order photocopier |
| a scratch on the carpet | a frozen AC |
| peeled painting on the wall | a crashed computer |
Da un posible problema a cada palabra.
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The toilet doesn’t flush. |
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There is no water in the shower. |
|
The refrigerator isn’t working. |
|
The coffee machine doesn’t dispense water. |
|
The photocopier is out of order. |
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The AC cannot make the room cold enough. |
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The faucet/tap in the sink is leaking. |
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The carpet on the floor is very dirty. |
Ejercicio de speaking sobre las frases útiles del día a día en casa
- Which problems do you solve first: insignificant or serious problems? Why?
- How do you deal with insignificant problems?
- If the problem is serious, do you ask someone’s help for the solution?
- What is the most serious problem you have encountered?
- Have you encountered an insignificant problem that you’re unable to solve?